Freedom New Mexico A man found guilty of kidnapping and raping a Clovis woman in 2010 was sentenced to 27 years in prison Friday, according to a news release from the office of Ninth Judicial District Attorney Matthew Chandler. Jesus Oscar Dominguez, 22, a native of Mexico, was convicted by a Curry County jury in […]

The Associated Press LOS ALAMOS — As crews fight to keep a New Mexico wildfire from reaching the nation’s premier nuclear-weapons laboratory and the surrounding community, scientists are busy sampling the air for chemicals and radiological materials. Their effort includes dozens of fixed-air monitors on the ground, as well as a “flying laboratory” dispatched by […]

Clovis High holding workshop Clovis High School is hosting a workshop for seniors and their parents to help them complete financial aid forms, according to a news release. A representative from the New Mexico Educational Assistance Foundation will be available. The workshop will be held 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at CHS library computer lab. Information: […]

CNJ staff photo: Sharna Johnson Family and friends of Mary Castillo protested in front of the courthouse, police department and district attorney’s office Thursday, frustrated by lack of progress in the case involving the 56-year-old woman’s death. Sharna Johnson District Attorney Matt Chandler said Thursday he will ask a grand jury to decide if a […]

Courtesy photo Brianna Pilon as Rosencratz, left, Laurel Petty, center, as The Player and Jason Goolsby, right, as Guildenstern. Vanessa Kahin, pictured on the far right in the photo with four people, is the director. The play is a reduced version of Tom Stoppard’s play “Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” Freedom New Mexico Saturday, Eastern […]

CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Sharon White teaches her grandchildren with educational games and toys. CNJ staff Sharon White has been in charge of the Enrichment Lab at Barry Elementary School for five years. Students attend the lab in 30 minute increments to get one-on-one help with their class work. Planting the seed: We had […]

CNJ Staff Three weeks after the slaying of a 52-year-old Clovis woman, police are still waiting on lab results for DNA evidence before charging a suspect they have in custody. Friday, Clovis Capt. Patrick Whitney said items of evidence in the case are at a state crime lab waiting to be tested. “We’re down the […]

CNJ staff Suspected blood taken from the clothing of a suspect in the Dec. 20 killing of Elizabeth McAdams is being examined at a state crime lab, according to Clovis police. It could take three or four days to process the evidence and might also be delayed because of the holidays, Capt. Patrick Whitney said […]

CNJ staff Clovis police said Monday they expect to file charges in a few days against a suspect in the Dec. 20 slaying of 54-year-old Elizabeth McAdams. Clovis Police Capt. Patrick Whitney said the holiday season and inclement weather delayed crime scene evidence from arriving at a Santa Fe crime lab for analysis. He said […]

CNJ staff photo: Gabriel Monte State police agents in hazmat suits examine and catalogue items stored in a backpack seized Monday from a Choice Inn Motel room. Police said the room was allegedly used as a meth lab. CNJ staff Clovis police shut down a meth lab at a Clovis hotel Monday night, according to […]

CNJ staff New Mexico State Police arrested four Clovis residents Friday in connection with an active methamphetamine lab, according to officials. Anna Goodwin, 35, Wilbur Stejskal, 33, and James Metzger, 36, were arrested as they were “cooking” the drug, according to state police public information officer Andy Tingwall. Charges include trafficking, manufacturing and conspiracy to […]

CNJ staff Area law enforcement discovered a methamphetamine lab in the late stages of construction Thursday while serving a search warrant at a Melrose house, according to Curry County Undersheriff Wesley Waller. Waller said the house, located at 623 Third Street, was not occupied at the time the warrant was served. Arrest warrants are anticipated […]

By Gabriel Monte: CNJ staff writer Clovis Community College officials are hoping to break ground soon on a new facility that will expand its medical program. Tom Drake, assistant to the president for business and government affairs at CCC, said the new facility will be completed by October or November of next year. He added […]

By Marlena Hartz: CNJ staff writer Education BACKDROP: Public schools account for the largest share of state spending from the main budget account, about 45 percent or $2.3 billion this year. Higher education represents 15 percent of state spending. A report by Education Week ranks New Mexico last in the nation on a “Chance for […]

CNJ staff A 51-year-old Clovis man was arrested Friday after a citizen smelled a chemical odor coming from an apartment at the Zia Motel on Prince Street and called police, according to Sheriff Roger Hatcher. The meth lab consisted of all the components needed to manufacture meth and approximately two grams of completed product, Hatcher […]

Joshua Gilpin holds up a jar of sodium chloride at his Portales apartment. Gilpin studied chemistry at Eastern New Mexico University. (Freedom Newspapers: William Thompson) By Marlena Hartz: CNJ staff writer Joshua Gilpin turned his Portales kitchen into a makeshift laboratory last November. The Eastern New Mexico University graduate student took three chemical solvents from […]